Rockband
by teggers
Summary: One-shot. Kai sucks at videogames. Well, either that or he's awesome. It depends on who you ask, as Rei discovers late one night when he sneaks down for a drink.


_A/N: Don't let me near computers at 2am. Nothing sane will come from it. Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it (or vomiting it forth from my sleep-deprived brain, whatevs). Don't forget to review if you like/don't like/are a fellow insomniac. Bonus points if you know the song, and bonus bonus points if you recognise a certain quote... remember; points mean prizes! (Top tip - never believe anyone who tells you this, they don't mean squat).  
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**Rockband**

"They're playing Rockband."

It was said like an apology. Synchronised tapping greeted Rei when he entered the Granger dojo that evening, Kenny having let him in. Max was perched on the arm of the couch, his tongue peeking out, as eager but intent his fingers hit the coloured buttons on the controller. Tyson... Tyson had melted. Practically horizontal, one foot on the coffee table and chin sinking into a creased t-shirt, he held the guitar-shaped plastic like a tramp in the gutter cradling a bottle.

"Hey Rei!" The blonde blurted, affording him a quick glance.

"Hey... Is Tyson okay? It looks like the furniture is trying to eat him."

"He hasn't moved. All day." Sitting in a corner on the floor with his back to the wall, Rei hadn't noticed Kai. The Bladebreakers' captain looked bored and pissed off, but then that wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary.

"We're addicted!" Max said. "We keep trying to get these two to play, but no luck."

Tyson broke from his comatose-like game face. "Yeah, Kai's being a butt, as per usual, and Kenny refuses to sing even though I know he has, like, every Singstar game ever."

"That's a lie!" The shortest member of the Bladebreakers blushed, furious.

"Will you join us, Rei?"

"Yeah sure, looks like fun. How does it work?"

"You can be bass after me – it's generally easier, and plus Tyson won't let go of lead guitar."

"Damn straight."

"And Chief should sing!"

"Nooooo..." Said Kenny, emitting the most squashed sound Rei had heard him make.

"Yeah and I think Kai would be good on drums because he's angry and likes to hit stuff."

A flying biro bounced off Tyson's forehead; Kai's silent reply. Tyson grinned back.

"If anything, you've just illustrated my point. I take that as a yes?"

With perfect aim, another pen socked him in the exact same spot. Tyson rubbed the rapidly developing mark.

"One day I hope to teach him to speak." He said to Rei with a knowing wink, and then a frowned with pain as a book connected to the back of his head. "Dude, not cool!"

"I don't approve of videogames."

"Oh big surprise."

"We were meant to train today, and instead I seem to have just watched you two geniuses re-invent musical history by _murdering_ it."

"We're getting better!" Max protested.

"Besides I've only had it for a couple of weeks! And someone," he glared, "keeps confiscating the controller. We would be a lot better otherwise."

"You also wouldn't have touched your beyblade, gone to bed before midnight or, god help us all, been to the bathroom if I hadn't."

"Guys, guys!" Rei said, trying to diffuse what might soon escalate into a fight. "How about we hang loose and play tonight-"

"Yesss!"

"-and then we all get up extra early tomorrow and put in a full day's work to make up for it? Sound fair, Kai?"

"Hn."

Max proffered the wooden sticks to their grumpy leader. "Channel the anger. Help us get five stars."

Twenty minutes later, and the night was not progressing in the fun and carefree manner in which the Neko-jin had originally envisaged.

"Aw man, Kai. You suck."

"I told you I didn't want to play."

"Yeah, you said 'didn't want to'. You didn't say 'couldn't if my life depended on it'."

"Whatever, videogames are dumb." He dropped the drumsticks and stalked out the room. "Have fun, kids."

When quite sure he was out of earshot, Tyson whispered:

"Oh well, it's an even number now. We can all play at once."

Max dropped the microphone like it was lava and scrambled to Kai's former position with the cheesiest, cheekiest grin plastered to his face. Reluctantly, but not _too_ reluctantly, Kenny cleared his throat and adopted the mic.

* * *

><p>Rei sighed, descending the pitch-black stairs on his trek to the kitchen. It was perverse – when he knew he would have to get up early, he absolutely could not get to sleep. Stupid brain. A glass of milk, he hoped, might provide the cure but not because of any logical reasoning. It was just part of his superstitious obligation to observe a set of clichés; like counting sheep or repeatedly pounding the pillow into various shapes.<p>

The old floorboards sagged even under his light step and not wishing such a misfortune on anyone else, Rei crept in what he imagined must look like a ridiculous cartoon parody, had anyone else were awake to see it. So preoccupied with being quiet, he didn't notice at first that this part of hallway was not dark but bathed in an almost ethereal flickering light. It was only when Rei stood in the bright rectangle that was the living room doorframe that his ninja fantasy dissolved and he realised the true absurdity of the sight that lay before him.

Illuminated by the television, Kai was sitting in just a loose pair of blue pyjama bottoms and drumming away on the fake kit. Not quite able to reconcile this present image with his mental catalogue of Captain 'Killjoy' Hiwatari's usual habits (namely frowning, glaring, and refusing to participate in anything), Rei ignored it for a second to drag his eyes away to the screen. There, his mind received a second shock. Mere hours earlier, he'd had the all the rhythm and co-ordination of a drunk bear... but now Kai wasn't missing a beat. Relaxed (barely even looking!), a naked foot worked the bass pedal while the dual-haired boy lazily slapped plastic with the drumsticks. It was on Expert setting, and he was making it look easy!

He finished the song, and Rei ogled the high-score. No way. So this is what he got up to every night, when he stayed up so late? This was the real reason why he always went to bed last?

The music started up again, and Rei's ponderings were further misdirected. Something was off. It seemed like there was something wrong with the sound, but focusing once more on the Russian, it dawned on him. Only audible because the TV volume had been turned so low; the oddness he heard was Kai humming along to the tune.

It was a band that Rei didn't know; one that Tyson always skipped over when he was choosing, and the singer had a husky voice through which he couldn't make out the lyrics. Kai's humming got stronger with the mounting energy of the chorus and the Neko-jin was surprised when, under his breath, he broke into soft singing.

"Hmm-mm mmh m greatest...day I've never known...can't wait for tomorrow, might not have that long..." A particularly energetic drum-thrashing momentarily stole his attention, but then he carried on as if there had been no interruption: "Pink ribbon scars, that never forget... I tried so hard, to cleanse these regrets... My angel wings, were bruised and restrained... hmm-mm mm..."

Kai carried on quietly serenading the empty room, unaware, and feeling guilty at his eavesdropping Rei considering leaving then. But still...Perhaps because it was an action so out of character which lent his otherwise average voice a touch of beauty, or maybe it was because Rei was over-tired and an easy emotional target. Whatever the cause, he found himself rooted to the spot, unwilling to move on and dismiss this strangeness and the little shard of sadness and love for his friend that stuck him in the heart.

And then Kai ruined what Rei had perceived to be an unconscious moment of vulnerability by saying:

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help? I've got a really big gig coming up."

"W-what? I, erm, I wasn't trying to spy on you or anything!"

"I know. But my hidden fragility is pretty mesmerising, right? Who would have thought – the old sod, have feelings?" Kai baited, with a positively evil smirk.

"You son of a bitch, you could have said something sooner!"

"And miss the chance to play you?"

Rei shook his head in disbelief.

"You know, you're a lot more normal than people give you credit for."

The television displayed the menu, and for a while Kai let the song clips loop without selecting anything.

"I don't mean to be a hardass. It just happens. People always say you should be yourself like it's such a noble thing, but I guess they don't take into account that 'yourself' could be a douche."

This sure was a strange mood that he was in tonight. Sitting down and reaching for the guitar, Rei was intrigued about which turn the conversation would take next.

"What are you doing, anyway?"

"Rockband."

"Yeah I got that. I mean why now? Instead of hiding, why not play properly with us earlier?" He scrolled through and picked a new track.

Kai was obviously just as tired as him, because he gave less an answer and more a collection of noises.

"Eurgh... blah blah training blah. Endorsing frivolity... legitimising their procrastination, force of habit, et cetera..." Rei continued to stare at him with expectation, and finally Kai gave in and flashed a rare grin that chilled him to the bone. "And I'm waiting for Tyson to try and make a really stupid bet with me."

"Aaand there we go, ulterior motive."

"Man's gotta have a dark side, Rei. You magnificent bastards took away mine when you became my friends, so now I'm reduced to this."

There was a few seconds of discordant music from the game as Kai fucked up the timing, distracted. Rei sensed that he hadn't meant to say quite that much.

Despite the night's more than queer beginnings, they got through the rest of career mode relatively uneventfully. It was actually nice just being able to bullshit with a friend awhile. Made Kai seem almost human. They didn't talk much, or at least about anything important, and without the pressure to be sociable hanging over him, Rei noticed Kai's normally stiff posture ebb away into recline.

"We should probably call it a night." Rei said some time later, stretching out and removing the plastic guitar's strap.

Kai smirked, the dark rings under his eyes making it a particularly unsettling look. "Check the clock. It's soon going to be time to wake Tyson and Max for training."

"Oh my lord! How is it almost six?" Jaw hitting the floor, he turned to the captain. His eyes narrowed, scrutinising the mischievous expression gracing Kai's face. "Is this how you always seem so awake at such an ungodly hour?"

"I'm a night owl, not a morning person. Logic dictates you can turn one into the other."

"You crafty bugger." Rei said with admiration.

"I've always said you should find the strengths in your weaknesses."

"You know there was a while where Tyson almost killed himself trying to kidnap your alarm clock, and he was so baffled when it didn't work!"

Just before switching off the console Kai deleted the save data; evidence of the night's work, muttering: "So help me, that idiot cannot resist a wager."

"So we're really going to wake them up? _Now_?"

"Yup." He laced his fingers together to yield a gruesome crack. "Dibs on Tyson."

**- Owari** -


End file.
